CTK Commemorates the Faithful Departed
Christ the King Parish Greenmeadows scheduled a triduum of masses for those interred in the CTK crypts. The first was at 9 am on October 31 at the Lower Crypt chapel; the second at 9 am on November 1 at the Lower Crypt; and the third and last day, November 2, saw two masses, the first at 9 am at the Lower Crypt and the second at 3 pm, at the Main Church.
In observance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, CTK crypts were open from 6am to 10pm last October 25 to October 30 and from 6am to 12mn from October 31 to November 2. Also, in commemoration of all the faithful departed, parishioners with loved ones in the crypts were encouraged to write the names of their beloved relatives and friends on the envelopes provided, with the promise to pray for and bless the names of the beloved departed throughout the novena masses in their honor starting November 1 until November 9.
The most important mass was the 3 pm mass last November 2 for all those interred in the CTK crypts held at the main church; this was followed immediately by the blessing of the crypts. Concelebrating the special mass for the departed were Fr. Jojo Gatdula, Fr. Norman Kagaoan, and Fr. Elvin Carupo, with Fr. Jojo taking the lead.
In his homily, Fr. Jojo mentioned several things:
‣ When a person dies with great sin, God is so merciful that, beyond time, Jesus is continuously offering himself so that the departed can be cleansed and thereafter see God.
‣ Jesus has prepared our place in heaven.
‣ He is the life and the resurrection and whoever believes in him will no longer die but will live eternally.
‣ Even if we experience physical death, we will live on. But we already experienced death when we were baptized. We now live in our spiritual bodies which will experience fullness in heaven. Our loved ones’ spiritual bodies live on because of the mercy and love of God.
‣ We celebrate mass on November 2nd for the atonement for the sins of our beloved even as we continue our pilgrimage on earth.
‣ The memory of our loved ones continues because we live. As we remember our loved ones, their legacy lives on.
In the Special Prayers for the Dead, Fr. Jojo intoned, ‘We pray that God may give them peace and life forever. We pray that God may give them joy in the company of all the saints. Release our departed from all punishment in answer to our prayers. Give them the pardon they have always desired.’
The three priests then split up for the blessing of the Crypt vaults, with Fr. Jojo taking on the Garden Crypts, Fr. Elvin doing the Upper Crypts, and Fr. Norman taking on the Lower Crypts. As each priest went the rounds to bless the different portions of the crypts, the parishioners trailed behind, praying. Interestingly, and very Filipino, so many parishioners wanted to make sure the specific crypt of their departed was touched by holy water. When it didn’t seem like it, they would ask the priest to sprinkle holy water again. There were even a few who dragged the priests by the sleeve to a specific crypt to bless the crypt again.
